Pneumatic gun or rifle.



No. 836,532. PAT-BNTED N0V.'2 o, 1906.

' J. FICKEN.

PNEUMATIG GUN 0R RIFLE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.30| 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE mmms PETERS co.. wasrlmorc. n. c.

No. 836,532. PATENTED'NOV. zo, 1906.

J. PIGKBN. PNBUMATIG GUN 0R RIFLE.

APPLICATION FILED 13120.30, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fue Ncmus PETERS co., wAsHlNcraN, n. c.

PATBNTBD Nov. 2o, 190s.

J. FICKEN.

PNEUMATIG GUN 0R RIFLE.

APPLICATION FILED DBU. 30. 1,902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3'- I @9i/IMM UNITED sT Afrns PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES PIOKEN, OF PORT WILLIAM, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR OF. ONE-HALF TO ARTHUR ALLAN, JR., OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nav. 2o, 1906.

Application iled December 30, 1902. Serial No. 137.115.

T0 all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES PIGKEN, retired farmer, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Port William, in the county oi Wigton, Scotland, have invented an Improved Pneumatic Gun or Rifle Particularly Applicable for Military Practice, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to Huid-operated guns or rifles 3 and its object is to increase the amount of pressure supplied behind the projectile.

Other objects and advantages oi this invention will appear from the following description and be more particularly pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of the improved gun. Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the condition of the parts when ready for liring. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the condition of the parts after iiring. Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the gun broken down as in the act of returning to liring position, the pistons being in their operative positions. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the cylinder A and a plan through the lug a. Fig. 6 is a section of the cylinder A, showing the piston c and engagement of the lug a and sliding block g. Fig. 7 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the gun broken in the act of pressing the pistons to their operative positions, the toggle-levers being in engagement with the pistons.

The gun herein shown and described is of the breech-loading type; but I desire it to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to this particular type of gun.

In this embodiment of my invention the stock D is hinged to the barrel C at f, and each is provided with one or more cylinders A B, in which work pistons or compressionheads a b. The piston ofthe barrel A moves upon iiring toward the barrel O, so that the piston arl moves in opposite directions, thereby moving the fluid in the opposite direction. The chambers of the several cylinders communicate by chaimels 1 2 with the barrel C. The pistons or compression-heads a b are hollow and open at one end. Spiral springs are inserted at one end into the open ends of the pistons a b, the other ends of the springs j bearing against the non-compression ends of the cylinders A B. Lugs a/ project downwardly from the pistons c b andare guided in suitable slots in the bottom of the cylinders A B. g represents sliding blocks also moving in the slots of the bottom of the cylinder A B and are provided with flanges g, which tit into channels or grooves a2 a3 in the walls of the slot. The blocks g are pivoted to compression toggle-levers G H. Each of these levers is fulcrumed to a part of the -gun other than that which it is to operate-9,. e., the lever G is fulcrumed at e to the housing F of the stop B, while the lever H is fulcrumed at e to the housing Eof the barrel C.

When it is desired to load, the gun is broken, the stock and the barrel moving upon the housing G, thus moving the pistons a b through the medium of the toggle-levers G H. As the block gis pivoted to the levers G H, it will be seen that when the gun is broken for loading the lever G will be moved toward the front end of the barrel while the lever H is moved toward the stock, thus moving the block g, which engages the lug a on the cylinder a and compresses springs 'y'. At the same time dogs m n in the housing E F pass into notches a4 and b2 and hold the pistons a b in a position for tiring. These dogs m fn, are connected at m2 m3 with slidebolts p g, passing through stop-plates p2 g2, and which normally tend to throw said dogs into engagement with the pistons a b by reason of spiral springs p g', which force the bolts p g toward each other and which bear against the stop-plates p2 g2. When the slide-bolts p g move the dogs m n intoglengagement with the pistons a b, the pawls u x, pivoted at u and pressed by springs u2 m2, enter notches 1^ t in the slide-bolts and hold said slide-bolts against movement, so that the greater power of springs y'cannot overcome the lesser power of the springs p/ g when the breech is closed. Upon the ends of the slide-bolts p g are respectively a movable pawl p3 and a iiXed pawl g3, which are adapted for coengagement when the breech is closed.

A trigger L, pivoted at Z in the housing F of the stock D, is adapted to contact when moved, first, with extensions '11,3 m3 upon, respectively, the pawls 'u and throw said pawls out of engagement with the slide-bolts p g, and second, by means of an extension Z IOO . blocks g and lugs a.

with the movable pawl p3 to release both slidebolts p g simultaneously, and consequently both dogs m n. The barrel and stock are locked together, so that they cannot separate on firing, by a spring-dog i, carried by the stock and engaging in a notch on the barrel. (See Fig. 2.) A pivoted cam-lever c engages beneath the dogi to unlock the same.

The Operation is as follows: When it is desired to Iire the gun when it is in a position shown in Fig. 3, the dog i is unlocked by the compression-lever c, and the parts are swung on their hinge f, whereby the compressionlevers force the pistons a b against the action of the springs y' through the medium of the When the notches a4 b2 reach the dogs m n,- said dogs enter the notches, being thrown therein by the springs p g', which move the slide-bars p g, which are now locked by pawls u The projectile is now inserted into the barrel and the breech closed, whereupon the pawls p3 9 3 engage. The trigger L is then pulled, which iirst throws the pawls u :r out of engagement with the slide-bars p g, and then the pawl p3 is thrown out of engagement with the pawl g3, whereupon the superior power of the springs j overcomes the power of the springs p g and the pistons move toward each other, simultaneously `compressing the iluid within the chambers and forcing it by way oi the channels 1 and 2 to the barrel C.

I claim- 1. In a fluid-Operated gun, the combination with a barrel, separate cylinders connected with said barrel, of a plurality of pistons and means for moving the pistons simultaneously in opposite directions to supply fluid to said barrel at the same time.

2. In a huid-Operated gun, the combination with a barrel and a stock hinged together, of cylinders carried by the barrel and the stock and communicating continuously with the barrel, pistons in the cylinders, means moving the pistons in the cylinders and single means for releasing all of said pistons simultaneously.

3. In a fluid-operated gun, the combination of a barrel, a plurality of cylinders in continuous communication with the barrel, a plurality of pistons in said cylinders, means moving said pistons simultaneously in a direction to compress and force luid into said barrel and toggle means for simultaneously resetting said pistons. r

4. In a fluid-Operated gun, the combination with two pistons, springs for moving the pistons in a direction to compress fluid,y a dog for each piston holding it against movement, two slide-bars, one provided with a iiXed pawl and the other with a Amovable pawl,

means for moving the movable pawl tO4 re- Y lease both pistons simultaneously.

5. In a Huid-operated gun, the combination of a barrel, a stock hinged thereto, a piston carried each, a plurality of cylinders in which said pistons operate and compression-levers connected with each piston and to said barrel and to said stock.

JAMEs FICKEN.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH WILLIAM THOMPsON, JOHN ROBERTSON. 

